Paso Robles trailblazers Georges and Daniel Daou describe the Patrimony project like this, 'In the end, this land is not ours—it is an inheritance forged by faith, family and heritage. We are called to be its shepherds, and to prepare it for those who come after. Patrimony is the summit of this calling. With this wine, we aim to provide pleasure in the deepest sense of the word, signifying purity and grace. And through such pleasure, we achieve purpose: to leave a lasting mark that all may enjoy.'
After growing up in Beirut, Lebanon, then living in Paris and the South of France as teens and young men, Georges and Daniel moved to California in the early 1980's to pursue their American dream. They both enrolled at UC San Diego and studied Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. Industrious and driven to succeed, Georges and Daniel followed in their family’s entrepreneurial footsteps and started their own company, DAOU Systems, a networking technology company that would revolutionize hospital computer systems.
In 1998, after taking DAOU Systems public, Georges and Daniel sold the company, and a new dream arose, a dream with its roots in France. For years, Daniel had been making wine in his garage in rural San Diego, tending to a one-acre vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon, and reading every book he could find about winemaking. He knew he was destined to be a winemaker and knew it was time to start a winery. Everyone told him he was crazy, but with Georges as his business partner, Daniel told his father, “I’m going to buy this property in Paso, and I want to become a winemaker, and I think I can make one of the best wines in the world.” Without hesitation, Joseph said, “Go and don’t look back. Go full throttle.” And Daou was born.
Reminiscent of a top wine from the right bank of Bordeaux,
this wine exhibits incredible concentration and depth
accompanied by minerality that is expressed through
crushed stones on the palate. On the nose, the wine
explodes with flavors of crushed black cherry, violets, cigar
box, incense and cedar notes. While powerful and rich, it
remains balanced with elegance that is never compromised.
The tannins are silky and velvety with an underlining
structure that is present but not overpowering. The wine
retains incredible freshness and finishes very long.
The 2019 Cabernet Franc feels like a finished wine, although it is still maturing in barrel. The nose offers super pure violet, green pepper, exotic spices and blackberries, and the palate is fresh with youthfully gregarious fruits, finishing with great length. This was made entirely from free-run juice and will be aged for about 30 months in new French oak.
97-99 Points.
Along the same lines, the 2019 Patrimony Cabernet Franc (100% Cabernet Franc aging in new French oak) is slightly more California in style with a Napa-like sexiness and opulence. Stunning blackberries, dried flowers, incense, dried tobacco, and cedary notes all soar from the glass, and it's a powerful, super-rich barrel sample that still stays balanced and even elegant. It ranks with some of the finest examples of this variety in California.
97-99 Points.